Sovereign Hospice, Inc. Privacy Policy
Notice of Privacy Practices
Sovereign Hospice, Inc. understands that your health information is personal, and we are committed to safeguarding your privacy. Please read this notice carefully as it describes how Sovereign Hospice, Inc. will use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI).
Sovereign Hospice, Inc. may use your health information, that constitutes protected health information as defined in the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, for the purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care, and conducting health care operations. Sovereign Hospice, Inc. has established policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.
Sovereign Hospice, Inc. (hereafter referred to as “Hospice”) provides in the information listed below a summary of the purposes and circumstances in which your health information may be used and disclosed:
To Provide Treatment
Hospice may use your health information to coordinate care within Hospice and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the Hospice interdisciplinary team, and other health care professionals who have agreed to assist Hospice in coordinating care. For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms to prescribe appropriate medication. Hospice also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside Hospice involved in your care including family members, clergy whom you have designated, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment, or other health care professionals.
To Conduct Health Care Operation:
Hospice may use and disclose health information for its own operations to facilitate the function of Hospice and as necessary to provide quality care to all of Hospice’s patients.
Health care operations include activities such as:
- Quality assessment and improvement activities
- Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs
- Protocol development, case management, and care coordination
- Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment
- Professional review and performance evaluation
- Training programs including those in which students, trainees, or practitioners in health care learn under supervision
- Training of non-health care professionals
- Accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities
- Review and auditing, including compliance review, medical review, legal services, and compliance programs
- Business planning and development including cost management and planning related analyses and formulary development
Hospice may use your health information to evaluate its staff performance, combine your health information with other Hospice patients in evaluating how to serve all Hospice patients more effectively, disclose your health information to Hospice staff and contracted personnel for training purposes, use your health information to contact you as a reminder regarding a visit to you, or contact you as part of general fundraising and community information mailings. Please inform us if you do not want to be contacted.
Hospice may disclose certain information about you including your name, your general health status, where you are in the Hospice inpatient or residential facility. Hospice may disclose this information to people who ask for you by name. Please inform us if you do not want your information disclosed.
When Legally Required:
Hospice will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any federal, state, or local law.
Other legal requirements:
Hospice may disclose your personal data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
- Comply with a legal obligation
- Protect and defend the rights or property of Sovereign Hospice, Inc.
- Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the website
- Protect the personal safety of users of the website or the public
- Protect against legal liability
When There Are Risks to Public Health:
The Hospice may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes to:
- Prevent or control disease, injury or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death and conduct of public health surveillance, investigation, and intervention.
- Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs, and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
- Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
To Report Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence:
Hospice is required to notify government authorities if Hospice believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
To Conduct Health Oversight Activities:
Hospice may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure, or disciplinary action. Hospice, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.
In Connection with Judicial and Administrative Proceedings:
Hospice may disclose your health information during any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when Hospice makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information.
For Law Enforcement Purposes:
As permitted or required by State Law, Hospice may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes as follows:
- As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.
- For identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
- Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.
- To a law enforcement official if Hospice has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct.
- In an emergency to report a crime.
To Coroners and Medical Examiners:
Hospice may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.
To Funeral Directors:
Hospice may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law and if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to funeral arrangements prior to and in reasonable anticipation of your death.
For Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation:
Hospice may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplantation of organs, eyes, or tissues for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.
For Research Purposes:
Hospice may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research. Before Hospice discloses any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process.
In the Event of a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. Hospice may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if Hospice in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.
For Specified Government Functions:
In certain circumstances, the Federal Regulations authorize Hospice to use and enclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.
Security of Your Personal Data:
The security of Your Personal Data is important to Sovereign Hospice, Inc.; however, you have a duty to remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, Hospice cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Links to Other Websites:
Our website may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Sovereign Hospice, Inc. When clicking on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s website. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third- party sites or services.
Third Party Policy:
Sovereign Hospice, Inc. does not trade, transfer, or sell your Personally Identifiable information with any outside parties. Sovereign’s privacy policy does not apply to other websites or third parties, therefore; we advise you to contact any third party regarding their privacy policy for more information.
Your Rights With Respect To Your Health Information
You have the following rights regarding your health information that Hospice maintains:
Right to request restrictions:
You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on Hospice’s disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. However, Hospice is not required to agree to your request. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact the Administrator of Sovereign Hospice, Inc.
Right to receive confidential communications:
You have the right to request that Hospice communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that Hospice only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. If you wish to receive confidential communications, please contact the Administrator – Enid Wright of Sovereign Hospice, Inc. at 470-223-3773. Hospice will not request that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communication.
Right to inspect and copy your health information:
You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, including billing records. A request to inspect and copy records, containing your health information may be made to the Administrator – Enid Wright of Sovereign Hospice, Inc. at 470-223-3773. If you request a copy of your health information, Hospice may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling cost associated with your request.
Right to a paper copy of this notice:
You or your legal representative has a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative has received this Notice previously. To obtain a separate paper copy, please contact the Administrator – Enid Wright of Sovereign Hospice, Inc. at 470-223-3773.
Changes to this Privacy Policy:
Hospice may update the Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
California Online Privacy Protection Act:
CalOPPA first state in the nation to require commercial website and online services to post a privacy policy. This went into effect in 2004 and was amended in 2013 to require new privacy disclosures regarding tracking of online visits. See more at http://consumercal.org/california-online-privacy-protection-act.
Contact Us:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us:
• By email: info@sovereignhospiceinc.com